Social media is affecting careers, expert says

Thirty-seven per cent of employers are vetting candidates via social media sites, new research reveals.

According to report by Trademark Productions, 65 per cent of these employers are looking to find out whether the candidates are professional, while others are looking to see if they would fit with the company. Social media vetting is happening across a range of industries from low paid positions to professional jobs in London.

Social media is also becoming an issue for current employees, reports onrec.com, with the instances of employees being fired over social media interactions. Liz Strama of HRProtected.co.uk says that organisations need to have properly defined policies for this reason.

“[Social media] affects employers in every type of industry and has become a grey area in employment law. For that reason, it is absolutely vital that every company has a policy on social media that is clearly defined and understood,” says Strama.

While there have been several high profile cases of people being dismissed over social media posts such as metropolitan police posting ‘unacceptable’ content, Strama believes that there is a wider issue that needs to be addressed.

“Where the real issue lies is with the younger generation who miss out on entire careers through poorly censored social profiles,” she explains.

Strama concludes that the only way to ensure that employers and employees don’t run into problems is to clearly define what is and is not acceptable.